Gripla - 2022, Blaðsíða 376

GRIPLA374
(6) Gortur,39 (7) Gagari, (8) Svelgbikar,40 (9) Hákur, (10) Kargur, (11)
Fjölþreifinn, (12) Kölski, (13) Fingralangur, (14) Rebbi, (15) Tungulangur,
(16) Úlfaldi. After introducing them all, Grobbian proceeds to give advice
to the first six. Advice for the remaining ten is the focus of fitt II. Fitt III
introduces “Írónía,” a personification who reminds the reader not to take
what is said at face value, before presenting the eight daughters: (1) Hispra,
(2) Gelgja, (3) Skondra, (4) Skrafsa, (5) Strunsa, (6) Órækja, (7) Himpa, (8)
Syrpusnegða.41 The rest of fitt III is concerned with Gribba giving advice
to the first four of her daughters. Fitt IV thus continues the task with ad-
vice being given to the final four daughters.
The advice finishes with verse 47, and from there until the end of
fitt IV (vv. 48–69) the poet’s voice takes over and explains to us how we
should understand the strange material that has been presented thus far.
51. Orðsprok þessi á að líta ei með nösum
einfaldlega sem efnið hljómar.
Eru þetta ei Geiplur tómar.
(These sayings should not be taken literally and accepted at
face value.42 They are not empty Geiplur.)43
52. Heldur eru þetta heilræði í huldumáli
innan undir illum lörfum,
orða sneis úr fróðleik þörfum.
(These are rather pieces of advice in enigmatic language, deep
down under foul rags, a mass of words coming from useful
knowledge.)
39 “Gortur” means “Bragger” (like “gortari” from the verb “að gorta”). His advice tells him to
do just that (I:76–79).
40 “Svelgbikar” should be understood as “Swallow-Cup” or “Gulp-Goblet,” and he is advised
to drink as much as he can until he vomits (II:32–37).
41 Some of these names vary slightly in the different witnesses of the poem. Thus Himpa is
Hnuppa and Syrpusnegða is Syrpusvegða in ÍB 105 4to.
42 The meaning seems clear from the context, but as a phrase “að líta (ei) með nösum” is
unknown to me. It may mean that merely directing one’s eyes (nose) at the words is not
enough, one must actively use one’s senses to go beyond the superficial meaning and per-
ceive the deeper import.
43 Geiplur is the name of a rímur-composition based on a section of Karlamagnús saga, i.e.
dealing with romantic and unserious subject matter. See Björn K. Þórólfsson, Rímur fyrir
1600, 364–66.